Answered By: Kate Lynch

Last Updated: Sep 30, 2016Views: 31

A citation is a quote or a reference to a book, article, passage, or other text or author. It contains the basic information that is needed to find a specific document, including the document’s author, title, and publication information.

Citations are used to give credit to authors for original ideas and arguments. That means that whenever you make a reference to another document or use an argument from another author in your writing, you need to cite that document and give credit to the author for their ideas.

For more information on the how to use and format your citations, visit the Library's APA Style Help Guide.